Mesothelioma Sign and Symptoms

A. Pleural Mesothelioma Sign and Symptoms.



Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

• chest wall pain
• shortness of breath, known as "dyspnea".
  
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or dry cough
• blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up
• night sweats and fever
• wheight loss
• Difficulty swallowing
• A hoarse or husky voice
  
• Pleural Effusion-fluid in the Lungs. One of the most common and specific symptoms of pleural mesothelioma is the accumulation of fluid between the lungs and chest cavity. This generally causes shortness of breath, and requires a doctor to drain the fluid, called fine-needle aspiration, to make breathing easier and relieve chest pain.

B. Peritoneal Mesothelioma Sign and Symptoms.



Clinical symptoms at the time of presentation may include:

• abdominal pain
• abdominal mass
• increased abdominal girth
• distention of the abdomen
• ascites (fluid in the abdomen)
• fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia
  
• nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• digestive disturbances. Some patients complain of more non-specific symptoms for a number of months prior to a confirmed diagnosis. In a percentage of cases, peritoneal mesothelioma is found incidentally when the patient has sought help for another health problem such as gallbladder, hernia or pelvic mass.

C. Pericardial Mesothelioma Sign and Symptoms.



Symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma can include:

• Chest pain.
  
• shortness of breath.
  
• Heart palpitations. The tumor and/or fluid that accumulates between the heart and the sac can compress the heart.
• Persistent coughing.
• Extreme fatigue after minimal activity or exertion.

Pericardial mesothelioma resembles the other types of asbestos-caused mesothelioma in that the symptoms are often mistaken for something more common.

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What Causes of Mesothelioma?

A. Asbestos

Mesothelioma is most predominantly caused by asbestos exposure. Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma.

Asbestos is an insulating material comprised of magnesium-silicate mineral fibers. Flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.

Mesothelioma is most predominantly caused by asbestos exposure. Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma.

Inhaled asbestos fibers cause a physical irritation resulting in cancer rather than the cancer being caused by a reaction that is more chemical in nature. As fibers are inhaled through the mouth and nose they are cleared from the body by adhering to mucus in the nose, throat and airways and then get expelled by coughing or swallowing. The Amphibole fibers (long and thin) do not clear as easily and it is therefore thought that they can embed into the lining of the lungs and chest and result in mesothelioma.

Workers who sustain high levels of asbestos exposure are more likely to die from asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma than any other disease.

The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos is a very dangerous substance and can cause a lot of damage to your health. It is made up of very small fibers, which can find their way to pleura (outside lining of the lung) and damage the cells pleura is made of. These fibers can also be carried on clothing, which makes them dangerous not only to the person exposed to asbestos, but to their family members as well.

Asbestos exposure is known to be responsible for a variety of health issues, including:

1. Malignant mesothelioma
2. Asbestos lung cancer
3. Asbestosis
4. Diffuse pleural thickening
5. Fibrosis
   

Broad Classification of Asbestos

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

There are two broad categories into which all types of asbestos can be classified. They are as follows:

1. Serpentine group. This type of asbestos has a layered form and the fibers are curly. This is why it is called as 'serpentine'. This group has just one member, called chrysolite. Basically, This is the most common type of asbestos.

2. Amphibole group .This is considered to be the most hazardous type of asbestos. It has straight fibers. Unlike the serpentine group, it has a chain like structure. Five kinds of asbestos are found in the amphibole group.

Types of Asbestos:

1. Chrysotile asbestos. Also called white asbestos, chrysolite is the most common type of asbestos. It belongs to the serpentine group. The construction industry makes vast use of this type of asbestos. Since this type of asbestos is widely used, the majority of the asbestos-related health problems globally are caused due to chrysolite. It is used in the following materials: fire proofing materials, insulation, woven to form asbestos clothes,
cement pipes, cement Sheets, automobile brake shoes, clutches, disk pads, textiles, plastics, paper,rubber and even in nuclear industry.

2. Tremolite asbestos. Tremolite asbestos is not often used industrially, though it was sometimes found in certain commercial products such as talcum powder.

3. Actinolite asbestos. Like tremolite, actinolite asbestos is not often used industrially. Airborne actinolite asbestos fibers are easily inhaled and severely damaging to the lungs.

4. Amosite asbestos. Also called brown asbestos. This belongs to the amphibole category of asbestos. It has very stiff and Strong fibers. These fibers get easily air borne and are Very dangerous when inhaled through the nose or mouth. It is known as brown asbestos. It is mostly used for insulating purposes. Most of the countries have banned this amosite several decades ago itself. After chrysolite, this was the most popularly used type of asbestos. Amosite asbestos is used for a variety of commercial purposes such as pipe and cement sheet insulation.

5. Crocidolite asbestos. Also called blue asbestos, crocidolite asbestos viewed as the most dangerous of the six. This is a very rare type of asbestos belonging to the amphibole category. It is mostly used to reinforce plastics as it is highly strong. It is slightly blue in color. It is also used in thermal insulation.

6. Anthophyllite asbestos. Like tremolite and actinolite, anthophylite asbestos is not often used industrially, though it can occasionally be found in certain types of vermiculite (natural minerals that expand with the application of heat).

Asbestos Exposure and Your Work
resource : ATSDR

Many people have come into contact with asbestos fibers through their jobs (occupational exposure). Some of the work environments or occupations in which workers are now or were exposed in the past include:

Work Environments.

- Asbestos product manufacturing (insulation, roofing, building, materials)
- Automotive repair (brakes & clutches)
- Construction sites
- Maritime operations
- Mining operations
- Offshore rust removals
- Oil refineries
- Power plants
- Railroads
- Sand or abrasive manufacturers
- Shipyards / ships / shipbuilders
- Steel mills

Occupations:

- Asbestos removal workers
- Workers at exfoliation facilities where vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana, was processed
- Demolition workers
- Workers at asbestos product manufacturing plants
- Auto mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Bricklayers
- Building inspectors
- Carpenters
- Drywallers
- Electricians
- Floor covering manufacturers or installers
- Furnace workers
- Glazers
- Grinders
- Hod carriers
- Insulators
- Iron workers
- Laborers
- Longshoremen
- Maintenance workers
- Merchant marines
- Millwrights
- Operating engineers
- Painters
- Plasterers
- Plumbers
- RoofersIndividuals

Who have worked in the above work environments and occupations should consult with a physician with expertise in the evaluation and management of asbestos-related lung disease.

B. Other Causes
resource: medcine health

1. Radiation : Mesothelioma has been reported to occur in few people following exposure to therapeutic radiation using thorium dioxide (Thorotrast).

2. Zeolite : Zeolite is a silicate mineral (chemically related to asbestos) commonly found in the soil of the Anatoli region of Turkey. A few cases of mesothelioma reported from this region may have been caused by zeolite.

3. Simian Virus 40 (SV40) : The role of SV40 in the development of mesothelioma has also been suggested. This virus has been identified in human mesothelioma cells. In studies conducted in animals, it has been shown to induce the development of mesothelioma. However, further research is needed to confirm the link.

4. Smoking : the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing pleural mesothelioma.

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Type of Mesothelioma

Types of Malignant Mesothelioma:

1. Pleural Mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, called the "pleura". Lung cancer, however, is different from pleural mesothelioma because lung cancer is a malignant tumor that originates in the lungs, whereas pleural mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the lungs.
2. Pericardial Mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining that surrounds the heart, called the pericardium.
3. Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer in the lining that surrounds the stomach or abdomin, called the peritoneum.

There are three cell types of mesothelioma:

1. Epithelioid accounts for 50% to 70% of all cases. It also has the best prognosis.
   
2. Sarcomatoid accounts for 10% to 15% of all cases. It is a more aggressive form of mesothelioma.
3. Biphasic or Mixed accounts for 10% to 15% of cases. This form has characteristics of both epithelioid and sarcomatoid mesotheliomas but is associated with worse survival than epithelioid mesothelioma.

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What is Mesothelioma?

Definition:

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, originating from the cells which form the membrane lining the abdominal cavity (peritoneal membrane or peritoneum) which houses the intestines, or the chest (pleural membrane or pleura) cavity housing the heart and lungs, in which the cells making up those tissues begin to grow out of control. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body.

Beginning first as a flat white plaque, mesothelioma is a tumor that continues to grow around the lungs (pleurae), but may also originate around the abdominal cavity. As mesothelioma progresses, it enters the lungs and invades nearby ribs.

Description:

The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.

The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.

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